9 Biggest Student Discounts for Car Rentals

Most car rental agencies don’t advertise student discounts.

However, you can find discounted car rentals through portals like Student Beans and ID.me or your school’s partnerships with particular rental companies.

In most cases, the available discount will be a percentage off of the rental car’s base rate.

You’ll need to enter your school’s coupon code, book your rental through a discount link, or verify your identity through one of the student portals to use the discount.

What We Recommend

Avis Rent a Car offers the overall best student discounts. Students who verify their enrollment status with ID.me can save either $15 or 25% on their rental, plus get up to 1% cash back.

Avis also partners with specific colleges and universities to provide discounts. It’s best to check with your school’s finance office before booking to ensure you get the best deal. If your school partners with Avis, its discount may be higher or lower than the ID.me discount.

Thrifty Car Rental and Dollar Car Rental each offer up to 25% off through ID.me as well.

If you’d prefer to verify your enrollment through Student Beans, consider renting with SIXT, which offers up to 25% off on that platform.

Comparison Table

You can use the table below to quickly compare the student discounts for car rentals.

Note that you can select the arrows at the top of each column to sort the table.

You can also select each company name to find more information in our list below.

The List

Below, we list the car rental companies where you can get student discounts. Our list begins with the overall best deals based on the discount details and redemption process.

We confirmed this information by viewing policy documentation from rental agencies, individual schools, and student discount portals, as well as contacting rental locations.

Avis Rent a Car

• Discount amount: For ID.me members, up to 1% cash back, plus $15 off a three-day car rental totaling $175 or more, or 25% off;^[1] Avis also partners with some individual universities to provide special discounts.^[2][3]
• Requirements:
  • If using the ID.me discount, you’ll need to sign into or create an ID.me account. To qualify, you must be enrolled at an accredited public or private university or college and upload your student ID, registrar verification letter, current transcript, and/or course schedule to verify your student status.^[4]
  • If using your individual university’s discount, you may need to get a discount code from your school or book your rental through a particular link.^[2][3]
• Find a rental

SIXT

• Discount amount: Up to 25% off^[5]
• Requirements:
  • Must verify your student status through Student Beans
  • Must be at least 21 years old (or 18 in New York)
  • Must have a valid driver’s license
  • Must have a valid debit or credit card^[6][7]
• Find a rental

Thrifty Car Rental

• Discount amount: Up to 25% off^[8]
• Requirements: Must sign in with ID.me^[8] or create an ID.me account and verify your student status by uploading your student ID, registrar verification letter, current transcript, and/or course schedule.^[4]
• Find a rental

Dollar Car Rental

• Discount amount: Up to 25% off^[9]
• Requirements: Must have an ID.me account, which requires that you upload your student ID, registrar verification letter, current transcript, and/or course schedule to verify your student status^[4]
• Find a rental

Budget

• Discount amount: Varies by the partner college or university; anywhere up to about 25% off base rates^[2][3]
• Requirements: Vary by the institution; you’ll usually need to get a coupon code from your school to apply the discount.^[2][3]
• Find a rental

Hertz

• Discount amount: Varies by the individual school; usually up to 25% off the base rate^[10][3]
• Requirements: Must attend a college or university that partners with Hertz and use your school’s discount code^[10][3]
• Find a rental

Zipcar

• Discount amount: Varies by the school; usually up to $55, $65, or $75 off an annual membership^{[11][12][13][14]}
• Requirements:
  • Must attend a school that partners with Zipcar; you can search for your school on Zipcar’s website.
  • Must be at least 18 years old
  • Must provide a school-issued email address^{[11][12][13][14]}
• Find a rental

Enterprise Rent-A-Car

• Discount amount: Usually around 5%, but it varies by the institution; Enterprise partners with individual colleges and universities.^[15][16][3]
• Requirements: Vary; some schools (such as Penn State^[15] and the University of South Florida^[16]) require you to be affiliated with a student organization or traveling on official business. You’ll need to check the eligibility requirements at your particular school.
• Find a rental

National Car Rental

• Discount amount: National Car Rental partners with particular schools, and the discount details vary by institution.^[17][18][19]
• Requirements: Vary; you’ll need to check the eligibility requirements at your particular school. Some only offer rental deals for student groups renting for school use or require you to join the Emerald Club loyalty program.^[17][18][19]
• Find a rental

Note that as a student renter, you must follow the rental agency’s age policies. See our related research for information on where to rent a car under 21, plus how to avoid under-25 fees.

Car Rental Companies Without Student Discounts

The following companies don’t offer car rental discounts for students at the time of writing:

• ACE Rent a Car^[20]
• Alamo Rent a Car^[21]
• Fox Rent A Car^[22] (Note: Fox Rent A Car previously had a Student Beans discount, but it expired.^[23])
• Getaround^[24]
• Payless Car Rental^[25]
• Turo^[26][27]